The record-breaking vehicle was a specially prepared Suzuki Every minivan, equipped with a lithium-ion battery.

The epic feat, which took approximately 43 hours to complete at an average speed of 30km/h, smashed the old record of 1003.2km set by a fellow Japanese team in 2010.

The successful team plans to file an application for the record to be made official by Guinness World Records.

Most production EVs claim a single-charge range of between 100-200km in real-world conditions, with travelling distance affected by stop-start traffic, high-speed highway driving, and changeable weather.

The Tesla Model S equipped with an 85kWh lithium-ion battery is capable of driving approximately 480km at a steady 90km/h, or in excess of 650km at a constant speed of 40km/h. The Tesla launches in Australia in mid 2014.